For my dreams I hold my life
For wishes I behold my night
The truth at the end of time
Losing faith makes a crime

-Nightwish

Chasing Fire: Chapter 7

"Wha…huh?" Miley said stupidly. "When were you going to tell me about this?!" She demanded of her dad. Robbie opened his mouth, but Miley didn't feel like hearing his explanations and stomped up the stairs to her room. She felt like she was stomping off a lot these days. She heard her dad and Ingrid talking through her door, then a soft knock.

"Go away!" she yelled.

"Miley, sweetie. Can we talk?" It was Ingrid. Miley didn't trust herself to speak, so she didn't say anything. Hearing the door open anyway, she put a pillow over her face and ignored the sagging of the bed as her future step mom sat down. Silence reigned for a few minutes, then Ingrid started to talk. "I know that this whole week has been one thing after another with your dad and I, but I want you to know that I really care about him." Miley scoffed, threw the pillow on the floor and sat up, glaring at Ingrid.

"Yeah, right. I saw through you from the beginning. You're only after my daddy's money! You just wanted to get out of the slums and…" Miley was just getting started, but Ingrid silenced her with a slap to the face. Miley brought a hand up to her cheek to feel a trickle of blood running down.

"Now that I have your attention. I've tried to be nice, tried to act like I care about you. But the truth is, I could give a rat's ass what you do. Soon you'll be gone away and then it won't matter anymore. Good riddance is what I say. I look at you and I see a spoiled little princess. It's a shame that your father raised you as he did. I would have sent you off to school long ago." Miley looked at her with her jaw dropped. Was she really saying all these things?

"Now, Tim and I are moving into this house whether you like it or not, and just because your daddy is finally loving something other than you for a change doesn't mean that you can't grow up and deal with it." She stood up. "Now, you're grounded for skipping school and this weekend you'll be cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms. Dinner is at 7." Ingrid spun and went back downstairs. Miley was left to her thoughts, torn on what to do now that they were moving in.

…………

"But what about Lilly's birthday?!" Oliver practically yelled at her the next day at school. Grabbing some books from her locker, Miley sighed.

"I told you, Ingrid's on the warpath and dad's backing her up, well except that I'm allowed out for my concert, obviously. We can plan the party for next week and just give her our presents on Friday. That way she really won't expect it." Oliver frowned.

"I guess," he said dubiously. "I just don't think that it's that big a deal, I mean, you've never cut out before…"

"If that witch hadn't been around, dad wouldn't have cared. She's ruining my life!" Miley slammed the door to her locker.

"MILEY!" Lilly's voice came from down the hall. People turned and stared as Lilly ran full speed through the hallway and skidded to a halt in front of Oliver and Miley. She looked out of breath.

"What's goin on?" Miley asked, one eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Guess who was nominated for homecoming queen?!" she said, gripping Miley's forearms and practically bouncing up and down.

"Amber and Ashley?" Miley guessed. Lilly exhaled in annoyance.

"No, silly, you!" She grinned widely.

"Best friend, say what?" Miley said skeptically.

"Someone nominated you for homecoming queen!" Lilly said again in a rush. "Ohmygod, you totally have to beat out Amber! So many people hate her, you'd actually have a chance!"

"Uh, uh," Miley said, shaking her head. "No way…who in their right mind would nominate me?"

"Miley, who cares? Why don't you go for it! You totally deserve it!"

"Totally!" Oliver piped in. Miley and Lilly both looked at him in amusement. He shook his hair back, did an about face and pretended to see someone further down the hall.

"Sometimes I wonder about him…" Miley said.

"Me too,"Lilly said. Her eyes went dreamy, and she continued, "and then he…" Miley put a finger to Lilly's lips to shush her.

"I don't need to know anything that the two of you do together!" Miley shuddered. "I mean, it's Oliver! He's like my brother!" Lilly smiled and they started to walk to class.

"Will you at least consider running?" Lilly said as they took their seats. Darn it, thought she'd forget about that, Miley thought.

"I don't know, Lilly…"

"Why are you always holding Miley back?" Lilly whispered as the teacher started to lecture. Miley didn't have to wonder what she was talking about. While Hannah Montana was a superstar who craved attention, Miley Stewart kept her head down and avoided everything.

"You aren't going to give up on this, are you?" Miley asked.

"Nope!" Lilly said with a smile on her face.

"All right, I'll do it…" Lilly grinned and then opened her mouth to say something else, but the teacher interrupted before she could say anything.

"Anything you girls would like to share with the class?" Miley slid down in her seat, and Lilly blushed.

"No, sir," she said. As he continued on in his lecture, Lilly turned to Miley and mouthed, later. Miley nodded then turned her full attention on the lecture. Integrals. Yuck.

……..

As ordered, Miley went straight home after school. Her dad was strumming on his guitar when she walked in the door.

"Hey daddy." She said, plopping down next to him. "You working on a new song?" Robbie looked up at his daughter and shuffled some papers out of the way. While Miley now wrote most of her own songs, her dad still wrote a few here and there.

"Sure am, but it's not done yet." Miley laughed.

"So, no peeking for me!" She stood. "I get it, I'll leave you to write in peace."

"Now, you hold on just a minute, bud. There's something I really need to talk to you about." He put the guitar down and patted the seat next to him. Miley sat back down.

"Sure," she said, expecting some comment about her behavior the day before. Robbie took a deep breath, then looked up from his hands into her eyes.

"I think we need to tell Ingrid about Hannah Montana."